Table of contents:
- Muhammad Ali contracted Parkinson's not because of boxing
- What is Parkinson's?
- What causes Parkinson's?
- Can Parkinson's be cured?
Some time ago, the world was shocked by the news of the death of Muhammad Ali, a boxing legend who at the end of his career had to "compete" against an illness. However, what exactly is Parkinson's disease, what is its effect on the body, and why does a person get it?
Muhammad Ali contracted Parkinson's not because of boxing
In 1984, three years after he retired from the boxing ring, Muhammad Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Since then, his motor skills have decreased. He could not speak like people in general.
"Since then, Parkinson's made him unable to speak to other people, but through his eyes he still spoke. Through his heart, he continues to talk to me, to his family, "said his wife, Lonnie Ali, quoted from CNN.
His wife emphasized that based on the information he got from doctors, Muhammad Ali's illness was not because he received so many beatings in his boxing career, but because of genetic factors.
Ten weeks before his fight against Larry Holmes, team doctors from Mayo Clinic submit health reports to Nevada State Athletic Commission and illustrates that there is a small hole in the outer layer of the brain that causes Muhammad Ali to feel a tingling sensation in his hand and ramble while speaking.
The struggle against disease did not kill Muhammad Ali's social soul. In 1997, he and his wife founded Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center which aims to provide care for people with a disease similar to Ali's, namely Parkinson's.
What is Parkinson's?
According to Mayo Clinic, Parkinson's is a progressive disorder of the nervous system, and affects the person's ability to move. This disease begins with a small tremor in the hand, or usually a muscle feeling stiff, and gets worse over time.
There is no way in the form of a test to identify Parkinson's, so the diagnosis is sometimes unpredictable. In everyday life, people with Parkinson's will find it difficult to move and speak. The initial symptoms that are visible on the outside are slowed movement, slurred speech, and frequent loss of balance.
Parkinson's attacks 4 million people in the world every year. Research shows that men are more likely to contract Parkinson's than women. Generally, Parkinson's attacks those of us who are over 50 years of age.
What causes Parkinson's?
According to National Institute of Health, Basically, your body uses a chemical called dopamine to control movement. Dopamine is produced by neurons in the brain. Parkinson's is a process in which the number of cells in dopamine continues to decrease causing difficulty in movement.
Scientists do not know exactly what causes this. However, the guess so far is a combination of genetic heredity, gene mutations and environmental influences. Parkinson's Disease Foundation says that 15% to 25% of people with Parkinson's have family descent who also have Parkinson's. Recent studies have suspected Parkinson's link to chemicals such as TCE and PERC, but this link has not been legally proven.
Can Parkinson's be cured?
So far, National Institute of Health states there is no drug that can cure Parkinson's sufferers. However, doctors can help the patient catch it when the symptoms start to appear.
A drug called Levodova is often given to sufferers to help their brains produce more dopamine. This recipe is often combined with Carbidopa which can help bring Levodopa to the brain.
U.S Food and Drug Administration approved of deep brain stimulation to reduce depression, this aids prevention in the Parkinson's symptom phase. Electrodes implanted in the brain can help control movement.
Tai chi exercise is often used by patients who already experience Parkinson's symptoms. Transplants in dopamine tissues can help prevent Parkinson's, this has been proven in research Harvard University. However, there is no drug that can significantly prevent Parkinson's potency.
So, is there a link with Parkinson's infection with life expectancy? Actually Parkinson's does not directly cause death. However, the decline in brain function certainly leads to other health problems, as well as a decrease in the overall quality of life for a person.